“Balance & harmony are integral to Indian Ethos. What is sacred is Sustainable, what we revere, we protect “ Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
New Delhi 22 August 2023
Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha stated that sustainability has undoubtedly garnered a lot of attention. It is the buzzword today, but its incubation is deep-rooted in our past. He was speaking at the Inaugural Session of the 18th Sustainability Summit organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry on 22 August 2023, at New Delhi.
“The ethos of sustainability is enshrined in our Indian culture from decades. Communities in India have followed age old practices which are deeply connected with nature conservation and protection of our natural heritage” he expressed. Further, he said that one of the finest examples of tree conservation practices that arose in ancient India has been the maintenance of certain patches of land or forests as “sacred groves” dedicated to a village deity. He also added that several Indian trees and shrubs were regarded as sacred because of their medicinal, aesthetic, and natural qualities.
The Honourable MP shared a quote by Mahatma Gandhi that- “The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.” The importance of conserving our precious natural resources and living in harmony with nature are emphasised in our ancient scriptures. The need of the hour is to tap into that ancient wisdom and spread the message to as many people as possible. Based on this philosophy, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi introduced Mission LiFE to the world at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. Mission Lifestyle for Environment recognises that Indian culture and living traditions are inherently sustainable. This mission seeks to channel the efforts of individuals and communities into a global mass movement of positive behavioural change.
Mr Sanjiv Puri, President Designate, Confederation of Indian Industry, and Chair, B20 Action Council on ESG in Business and Chairman & Managing Director, ITC Limited stated strengthening global partnerships for sustainable, equitable and inclusive development is an apt theme for the Summit as the world is witnessing polycrisis, permacrisis and uncertainty. In not so far away future, we will cross 1.5°C target, which is an extreme weather situation. Adaptation to such climate will take centre stage. Businesses have both social & economic responsibility. The three words gaining currency these days are ESG. It needs to be the core of business strategy. It is critical to not look at sustainability in a silo and mainstreamed into core business strategy.
Mr Jon Moore, CEO, Bloomberg New Energy Finance stated that we need a clear vision to get to net zero and work on creating a consensus around the same. The vison will vary from country to country and will vary for each sector. The key measures required to achieve the net zero targets are: a vision - to know our choices, developing a plan, bringing all stakeholders together along with an enabling policy framework and mobilising finance.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Seema Arora, Deputy Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry, thanked Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad for sharing the new idea of sustainability, which emphasizes harmony and balance. She highlighted that CII has been working with the farmers in 350 villages of Punjab & Haryana to address issues around stubble burning. And nearly 90% of them have adopted sustainable models, bringing in balance & harmony. The intervention is helping towards freeing villages from the practice of farm stubble burning permanently.
For further information on the Summit agenda and key speakers, please visit:
https://www.sustainabledevelopment.in/summit/
About the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development
A pioneering effort by CII, CESD is on a mission to catalyse innovative ideas and solutions, in India, and globally, to enable business, and its stakeholders, in sustainable value creation. Its knowledge, action and recognition activities enable companies to be future ready, improve footprints profiles, and advocate policymakers and legislators to improve standards of sustainable business through domestic and global policy interventions.
CESD leverages its role of an all-inclusive ecosystem player, partnering industry, government, and civil society. It has been a pioneer of environment management systems, biodiversity mapping, sustainability reporting, integrated reporting, and social & natural capital valuation in India, thus upgrading business in India to sustainable competitiveness.